Ferrari test new F2007 car

2007-01-15 17:11

Fiorano - Ferrari tested their new F2007 car for the first time on Monday.

Brazilian driver Felipe Massa completed about 20 laps through the fog at the team's Fiorano circuit, with more testing planned later.

Ferrari president Luca Cordero di Montezemolo said getting the test off in the fog was a good sign.

"It didn't seem like the best day to start," Montezemolo said.

Ferrari has not won either the drivers' or constructors' championship for the past two seasons.

"This year there is only one goal - winning the championship," Montezemolo said, adding that more dependability was required. "Last season, if we had had more dependability at the beginning of the season, we would have won the championship."

In the Malaysian Grand Prix, the second race of last season, both Michael Schumacher and Massa were dropped 10 places on the starting grid after Ferrari switched engines. They settled for fifth and sixth-place finishes. Then at the Australian GP, both drivers crashed.

Schumacher, a seven-time Formula One champion, retired after last season and Ferrari hired Kimi Raikkonen from McLaren as his replacement.

Raikkonen will get his first drive behind the wheel of a Ferrari on Sunday, although he could begin by driving last year's model.

- AP